Men's 1st XV - East Kilbride

Oban Lorne faced East Kilbride in a dramatic Shield encounter, narrowly losing 29-32 in a match that ended in heartbreak for the home side. Despite a strong start, Oban struggled to maintain their structure in the second half, allowing East Kilbride to stage a remarkable comeback and snatch victory with the final play of the game.

The match began with East Kilbride taking an early lead through a penalty, going 3-0 up. Oban responded in style with a try from Dougie Ritchie to make it 5-3. They quickly extended their lead with another try, this time scored by Calum MacLachlan, taking the score to 12-3. Captain Jamie Bate added a third try to put Oban in control at 19-3.

East Kilbride clawed their way back into the game just before halftime, scoring a well-worked try to reduce the gap to 19-8.

Oban came out strongly in the second half, with Murray MacDonald crossing the line to push their lead to 26-8. However, East Kilbride’s determination began to show, as their hard running and relentless aggression saw them score three unanswered tries to take the lead at 27-26.

With time running out, Oban regained the lead through a penalty scored by birthday boy Blair MacFarlane, putting them ahead 29-27. But in the final moments, East Kilbride delivered a devastating blow, intercepting a pass on their own try line and sprinting the length of the field to score the match-winning try. The conversion sealed a 32-29 victory for the visitors.

Oban will be disappointed with the result, knowing they had opportunities to secure the win but ultimately lost their shape in the second half. Credit to East Kilbride for their resilience and character, which carried them through to a memorable victory.

Oban now turns their attention back to the league, where they’ll aim to get back to winning ways in their next fixture away to Cumnock, followed by their final game of 2024 at home against Cambuslang.